Wizard War III
by Outlaw's Daughter
Summary: Next Gen. Voldemort has been dead for 19 years and the Death Eaters are scattered and powerless. Everything should be perfect, right? Wrong. Scorpius/Rose, Albus/OC. Rated T for violence.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: My first fanfic, and I know authors usually tell readers to be nice, but I'm not going to do that. Be as mean as you want, as long as you tell me how I can make it better. I'm constantly revising my work, so much so that my friends get annoyed with me for being such a perfectionist. Anyways, on to the story. **

**Disclaimer: It's J.K. Rowling's universe, I just live in it**

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Chapter 1: Meetings

Maggie looked around, shivering. The breeze swirling around the station was crisp with the bite of autumn, but Maggie was used to far colder. It was not the wind that shook her eleven-year old frame as she stood outside King's Cross Station on Charing Cross Road.

She glanced around her a second time as if wavering, but she must have made a decision, for the next moment her lips tightened and the young girl took a firm step towards the station, heaving a large trunk along behind her. She continued through the busy station, mumbling apologies as her trunk got in the way of the harried businessmen.

Finally, she halted at the metal barrier between platforms nine and ten, a distressed look on her face. Sure, she had been told many times what to do next, but actually being there, with no one to guide her made the situation a whole lot worse. He _said_ he'd be there…

Their housekeeper Bonnie, who basically took care of Maggie while her uncle was at work, had offered to take her but Uncle David had given her the day off, saying that he wanted to take Maggie on her first day. So much for that.

Maggie glanced upward at the station's clock. Twenty minutes to eleven. She had to go now. Fixing her eyes on the barrier, Maggie took a deep breath and ran straight at it.

Her eyes widened as the solid barrier grew closer and closer. She began to cringe, but then, quite simply, she was on the other side.

For a moment, she forgot her trepidation as her eyes darted around, taking in the scene before her. This side was just as busy as the other, only this one was far more interesting.

A scarlet steam engine lay just ahead, busily puffing smoke. To her left and right stood men and women in colorful, mismatched clothing. Children of all ages ran here and there, chasing disheveled cats, hugging old friends, and enduring their mother's kisses.

"Maggie!" shouted a familiar voice, and Maggie turned to see a tall, burly man with ruffled brown hair striding quickly towards her. At the sight of him, all of the fear and hurt she'd felt earlier came rushing back.

It must have shown on her face, for the man's steps quickened, and lines appeared in his forehead. "Oh, Maggie."

He opened his arms to gather her in a hug, but she turned away. He sighed. "Maggie, I'm sorry."

She spun back around. "You promised you'd be here! You should have just let Bonnie take me- she wouldn't have forgotten!"

He attempted a weak grin. "I am here."

She gave him a withering look that made him feel like he was the child, instead of her.

But Maggie couldn't keep it up for long. Her face didn't change much, but the man swept her into a bear hug, and this time she let him.

He spoke over her shoulder as he held her. "I am so sorry. You know I would have been there if I could've. I got held up at the Ministry, we were going over some things, and I just, I-"

Maggie pulled back slowly. "It's okay, Uncle David. I understand."

"Really? You're alright?"

She refused to let melancholy ruin the first day of her new adventure, so she looked up into her uncle's worried eyes and firmly replied, "Really."

With a great toothy grin, he lumbered past her, easily hefted her heavy trunk to his shoulder, and strode off towards the train, his jacket flapping. She hurried after him, walking easily in the wide space left by the big man's passing.

As she was following Uncle David onto the Hogwarts Express, she caught a glimpse of orange to her left. She did a double take, and saw a small group of adults and children standing off to the side. That was nothing unusual, but she noticed that more than half of them had flaming red hair. She found herself watching the family; she'd never seen so many people with red hair in all her life.

"Maggie? You coming?"

She jerked, and continued onto the train, pushing the red-haired family out of her mind.

Maggie watched as her uncle heaved her trunk onto the luggage rack. He stared around the empty compartment a moment. Her uncle made the compartment look even smaller than it was. She almost laughed, but then her uncle turned, and Maggie was surprised to see tears in the bear-like man's eyes.

"I remember being on this train, heading off to Hogwarts for the first time. I was so excited, and your mum, experienced fourth year that she was, just looked at me and rolled her eyes. 'Shut up, Davie', she told me." He laughed quietly, so unlike his usual rough boom. "She got so annoyed with me."

His voice broke off oddly, as if he wanted to say more. She really wished he would. Robert and Emma McGonagall had died when Maggie was barely four years old, and she had gone to live with her uncle, David Slater. She loved Uncle David, but he rarely spoke of his older sister and Maggie had a need to know about her parents.

She could not remember what they looked like. The only picture that Uncle David had of Emma was from when she was eleven, and just accepted into Hogwarts. The only thing Maggie could tell from the young picture was that she apparently had inherited her mother's hair.

There were no pictures of Robert McGonagall. The only thing she remembered about her father were piercing, blue-gray eyes, though even those might be her wishful imagination, since she saw those same eyes every time she looked in a mirror.

Back in the compartment, Uncle David shook his shaggy brown head, gathered her up in one last hug, pressed a smacking kiss to her forehead and left with a promise to write as often as he could.

Not long after her uncle had gone, the train jerked and began to move. She sat down and pulled out one of her favorite old books, _Rise and Fall of Voldemort_ by Imri Mantreth. She'd had it as long as she could remember; it had been her parents' before.

After their deaths, Uncle David had brought it home with him, and the day of her parents' funeral, he had read aloud to her from it until his voice had gone hoarse. From that day on, he always read at least a few pages a day, and it wasn't long before Maggie would take the book down other times as well, simply to pore over the animated images of both the heroic and dastardly witches and wizards.

Not long after that, she began reading fluently, but considering that the book was meant for older readers, much of the meaning was lost on her even though she could read the words.

Even now, there were whole chapters that lay beyond the realm of her young mind's comprehension. Some of it was straightforward, facts and figures about the last two wizarding wars, but some of it went deeper, speaking of the past and the future and choices. Usually, the book fascinated her with its vivid accounts of the wars.

Only, today she couldn't concentrate. The words blurred incomprehensibly, her mind refusing to let go of her earlier train of thought.

When Maggie was eight, her uncle had gotten a job with the American Ministry of Magic, and the two had moved to Washington, D.C. Maggie had never been out of Britain before, and she had moved to another country. At least they spoke English. Kind of.

But America began to grow on her. So it was with mixed feelings that she received her Hogwarts letter two months ago. Her parents had always wished for her to go to Hogwarts, and for that she was pleased, but…all her American friends were going to either the Salem Witches' Institute or Flagendrew School, the two top wizarding schools in America. If Maggie went to Hogwarts, she would know no one.

It should have been an easy choice, but here she was, forty-eight days later, sitting all by herself in a compartment on the Hogwarts Express.

She sighed and focused on the book in her lap as the train began to pick up speed. She had just been getting into her favorite part, an account of the Battle of Hogwarts, when the compartment door suddenly banged open.

Maggie jumped, and the book fell off her lap with a thump.

"Sorry 'bout that."

Maggie looked up to see a boy with messy black hair and a tall girl with red hair standing in the doorway. The boy wore a sheepish expression. He looked somewhat familiar…

The girl stepped forward, and Maggie realized that she had seen this girl before, on the platform with the rest of her red-haired family.

The girl was speaking, "I'm sorry, but everywhere else is full. Do you think we could…" she gestured to the empty seats.

Maggie sat up straighter, "Oh, yes, of course."

The two exchanged looks at her slight American accent. Maggie swallowed her disappointment-wishing so much that she had chosen to stay in America- and looked down at her book as they dragged their trunks inside and sat down with relief, the girl next to Maggie and the boy across from them.

Maggie had once again resigned herself to a silent trip, when she heard the rustle of the girl's robes, and she cringed. If there was one thing that Maggie hated, it was awkward first introductions. Sure enough, the confident voice was speaking, "My name is Rose."

There was a pause, and Maggie knew she was supposed to answer. She looked up with a small, tight smile, "I'm Maggie."

She felt bad when the girl-Rose-smiled back, a real smile. Rose turned slightly to include the boy as well. "Maggie, this is Al, a cousin-"

Suddenly, the compartment door opened again. Standing in the hallway was what must have been half the train. A pretty redhead with a Head Girl badge was stationed at the front. Behind her was a sea of red.

"Aww, look at the wittle firsties!" the voice came from somewhere in the middle of the mass. The three in the compartment turned pink. Laughter rolled across the group like a wave.

Rose and Al groaned. The older girl with the badge rolled her eyes and gave the three a kind smile. "Don't worry, we were just ordered to check up on you. We'll get out of your way now." She herded the others away and quietly shut the door.

"Ordered to check up on us?" Al snorted. "I bet my dad told them to."

"What was _that_?" Maggie asked.

Rose spoke up, still as red as her namesake. "Those were our dear cousins."

Maggie's eyes widened. "All of them?"

"Yeah, I mean, well, no, we have other cousins that aren't old enough for Hogwarts yet, but yeah…" Al's voice drifted off.

The only question Maggie could think of was, "How many cousins do you _have_?"

The other two burst out laughing. Though confused, Maggie found herself smiling as well, because it wasn't a mean laugh. They truly thought what she'd said was amusing.

Al looked at Maggie, his brow wrinkled. "You really want to know?" Maggie nodded.

Rose shrugged, "All right then. Sit back, this will take awhile."

Large families were a novelty for Maggie. Maggie herself was an only child, her father had been an only child, his only relative an old aunt that Maggie had never met, and her mother's only sibling was David, who'd not yet married.

She listened intently as they told her all about their family, their cousins, their siblings, their aunts and uncles, grandparents, and all the friends of the family of which there were many.

The entire time, she couldn't stop looking at Al's face. Not because she thought him handsome or anything, but because she still couldn't remember where she'd seen his face before.

Her eyes glanced over her forgotten book, and she gasped. She looked around quickly, but the lunch trolley had just appeared, and Rose and Al were busy ordering food.

Maggie picked up the book. Staring up at her from the open page was a man with untidy black hair and a lightning shaped scar, smiling in a rather embarrassed way. She looked up again at the black-haired boy. She was right. Al was a younger version of Harry Potter, lacking only glasses and a scar. And Rose could be…she flipped a few more pages and her lips broke out in a wide grin. Nothing pleased Maggie McGonagall more than figuring things out.

Hours later, the sky was just starting to darken, and the three were comfortably sprawled about the compartment, empty Chocolate Frog wrappers scattered on the floor.

Al nodded at Maggie, speaking through a mouthful of Pumpkin Pasty, "Wha oose yu ink ull be in?"

Rose and Maggie shared a disgusted look. Al swallowed the pasty with a mighty gulp. "What house do you think you'll be in?"

Maggie shrugged. "I don't really know. My dad was in Gryffindor, and my mum was in Ravenclaw, but..."

Rose stepped in, seeing her hesitation. "What house would they like you to be in?"

"I don't know."

"You mean they never told you?" she rolled her eyes. "My dad won't shut up about it; he says if I'm not in Gryffindor, he'll disown me…" She chattered on and on about her father and mother, and what they thought about most everything to do with Hogwarts.

Maggie swallowed hard. "They never really had the chance to tell me."

"Never had the-" She stopped her monologue to look at Maggie. She knew instantly that Rose could see it in her face.

"Oh." Rose's face grew solemn. For some reason, Maggie felt much worse seeing confident Rose speechless.

She wanted to say something, anything, to break the awkwardness, but the silence lay too thick. Both of them were staring at her, Al frozen with a Pumpkin Pasty halfway to his mouth, and Rose with a scrunched look of pity and apology that was made all the worse by the fact that she refused to meet Maggie's eyes.

Outside, in the hallway, a group of older girls passed by, chatting loudly, and this seemed to break the spell that had frozen Al. He gave her a desperate look, and visibly gulped. "S-s-so-er…d-do you like Quidditch?"

Rose's pitying eyes finally left Maggie's face to stare incredulously at Al. It _was_ a pathetic attempt, really, but Maggie felt the corners of her lips lifting just a bit.

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Standing in a long line in the middle of the Great Hall with hundreds of faces staring at her, Maggie felt herself lean back slightly into the comfort of her new companions. Beside her, Rose was whispering something about the sorting process, but Maggie was too nervous to listen. Judging by Al's rapid blinking, she wasn't the only one.

At the front of the hall, in front of the high table where the teachers sat, a short wizard with wild white hair struggled with a three-legged stool and a ragged bundle. Panting slightly, he managed to place the bundle atop the stool before looking up to address the terrified line of first years in a squeaking voice. "Welcome, first years! I am Professor Flitwick, Deputy Headmaster of Hogwarts. When I call your name, you will come up here to be sorted into one of our four houses: Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw, or Slytherin. Your house will be your family while you are at Hogwarts, and I know you will all bring your houses honor in the future."

Professor Flitwick cleared his throat with another faint squeak, and a scroll appeared in his hands. "Ackerman, Garrett."

A tall boy with a slight limp quickly walked up and sat down, and Flitwick placed the bundle, which Maggie realized must be _the_ Sorting Hat, on the boy's head. There were a few moments of silence, and then a large rip near the hat's brim opened wide and shouted, "HUFFLEPUFF!"

Maggie's eyes widened while Garrett Ackerman hurried to what had to be the cheering Hufflepuff table. Her uncle had told her about all of it, but again, it was quite different to actually _be_ there, experiencing it.

As the list of names went on, Maggie found herself gazing upward at the ceiling instead of listening. The ceiling swirled with pale clouds, and bright pinpricks twinkled, just like in the real sky. Uncle David told her that the enchanted ceiling had been one of his favorite things about Hogwarts, and Maggie could see why. To her, it seemed that the Great Hall had no ceiling; that it just opened up to the heavens.

She was jerked back to attention as "Longbottom, Frank." reached her ears.

"GRYFFINDOR!"

Frank Longbottom slumped with relief at the Gryffindor table.

"Malfoy, Scorpius" was next, and Maggie knew she recognized this name. The Malfoy family had been one the biggest supporters of the evil wizard Voldemort in both the first and second wars. Apparently one of them, she was guessing Scorpius' father, had ended up renouncing Voldemort, but the wizarding world was not quick to forgive.

Scorpius Malfoy swiftly became a Slytherin, and as the pale boy sauntered to the Slytherin table, "McGonagall, Margaret" echoed throughout the Great Hall. Maggie took a deep breath and, with a whispered "Good luck" from Rose, walked up the long aisle to the stool.

As the Sorting Hat was placed on Maggie's head, she felt everyone's eyes on her and knew her face was bright red. But then everything went black as the hat fell down over her eyes. A voice spoke into her ear, and she jumped, realizing it was the hat.

"Hmm…you have your dear mother's intelligence, her curiosity, that's very clear…" the words sent a thrill through Maggie. Her uncle always said she was like her mother, but sometimes she wondered if uncles of orphans were supposed to say that. "Perhaps Ravenclaw? You could do rather well there- but is it really the best choice? Hmm…I also sense quite a bit of determination…and possibly a bit of courage as well? Yes, I do believe the best choice would be…GRYFFINDOR!"

The hat was lifted from Maggie's head, but Maggie was too stunned to move. Gryffindor? Despite her father being a Gryffindor, she'd never expected she would be as well. She always thought it would Hufflepuff or, hopefully, Ravenclaw- never Gryffindor. She wasn't brave, and she didn't even know if she wanted to be.

She noticed that the cheering had started to peter off as she remained sitting on the stool. She practically ran to the Gryffindor table, sinking down next to the boy named Frank Longbottom.

Maggie forgot her disappointment when "Potter, Albus" was called, because sure enough, Al was the one who nervously took his seat on the stool amid whispered proclamations of "That's Harry Potter's son!" Maggie was seated close enough to see the apprehension in Al's green eyes as the Sorting Hat was placed on his head. There was absolute silence.

It seemed that the hat took longer with Al, but eventually the rip gaped wide to loudly announce, "GRYFFINDOR!"

The terror instantly vanished from his face. He sat down across from Maggie while the entire table exploded with cheers. An older boy with messy red hair thumped him on the back and shouted, "Well done, _Albie_!"

Other than a rather red face, Al refused to acknowledge the applause, he just stared across the table at Maggie, as if afraid she was going to jump him.

She stared back, nonplussed. Neither moved for so long that Maggie feared Al was trying to have a staring contest without her knowledge. Finally, the older boy asked, "What are you two doing?"

Maggie replied without breaking her stare, "That is a very good question that I will have to hand over to Al, since I have no idea, myself."

If possible, Al turned even redder and more cautious. "Er-I'm Albus Potter…"

Did he think just because she was an orphan that she wasn't alright in the head? Even if she hadn't figured it out, Professor Flitwick had just announced it, hadn't he? She was now staring at him for an entirely different reason.

"You know, Harry Potter's son."

At this, she rolled her eyes and focused on the Sorting. "Tuttle, Michael" was just made a Ravenclaw, and she clapped politely.

"You know, this is weird, I usually get a different reaction when people find out who I am. I mean, it's not like I want you to fawn over me or anything- it's just…weird."

Maggie glanced back at Al over her shoulder. He looked so confused that she decided to take pity on him. "Relax, Al, I've known since we were on the train."

Al's mouth dropped open. With yet another eye roll, Maggie concentrated on the Sorting. She was pretty sure she saw a large grin on the older boy's face before she turned around.

A few minutes later Rose, a Weasley as Maggie had guessed, had joined them at the Gryffindor table, and the Sorting was over. She laughed with the others, relieved to be in the same house as her new friends, and yet still slightly disappointed that that house had to be Gryffindor.

As Professor Flitwick again struggled with the stool that was almost as tall as him, Maggie felt suddenly strange, like someone was watching her. She scanned the Great Hall, eyes landing on the high table.

At one end sat a huge man with wild gray hair and beard. She smiled. It was Professor Hagrid, whom she and the other first years had met just over an hour ago as he had escorted them to the castle. Hagrid was the only person she'd ever seen who could dwarf her uncle.

Next to Hagrid was a man with dark brown hair and round face. For a moment, she thought it was he who had been looking at her, but she quickly realized he was grinning proudly at Frank Longbottom.

Her eyes skipped over the next few, and landed on a tall stern-looking witch seated directly at the center of the table. As her dark eyes immediately darted across the room like a guilty child's the minute Maggie looked at her, Maggie knew it was this woman who had been watching her. But why? Maggie was quite sure she'd never seen the woman before in her life.

Before she had time to ponder the issue, the very woman in question stood and addressed the hall. "As Headmistress, I would just like to welcome all students to what should be a promising new year at Hogwarts. I know all of you must be very hungry, so I can only say," She spread her arms and inclined her head, "Tuck in!"

Maggie hardly noticed as heaping plates of food appeared on the table. She came back to reality only when the same older boy who had "congratulated" Al wedged himself in next to her and stuck his hand in her face with a lopsided grin. Nervously, she took it and instantly regretted it as she was nearly pulled out of her seat from his vigorous shaking.

"James Potter, at your service."

Maggie was about to reply when Rose, who was sitting on her other side, spoke up in an annoyed voice, "James, please don't ruin the first chance I've had to have a friend who isn't related to me."

Both Maggie and James turned to look at her. Despite her previous tone, Rose was looking at her plate as she said in a low voice, "I've already done a pretty good job of that myself."

Maggie sighed. "Honestly, Rose it's okay; you couldn't have known."

"Really?"

"Really."

Rose actually met Maggie's eyes for the first time since her accidental blunder. Both girls smiled.

Suddenly famished, Maggie turned happily back to the table, only to see the food disappear before she was able to grab more than a piece of chicken and a sip of pumpkin juice.

The Headmistress stood up once more and dismissed the students. Rose, Maggie, and Al followed the Gryffindor prefects towards the entrance hall. Maggie and Rose were just pushing their way across the threshold when Rose fell to the ground with a yelp.

Maggie knelt down to help her up, but so did a pale first year boy. The two of them pulled Rose onto her feet. She dusted off the front of he robes as the boy exclaimed "I'm so sorry, I didn't see you. Are you alright?"

Maggie could see Rose was about to tell the boy that she was fine, but then the redhead looked up at him and stiffened.

The boy looked genuinely sorry, but Rose was having none of it. She narrowed her eyes at him and stomped off after the other Gryffindors, leaving Maggie in her wake. She turned to the boy, who looked like he just got run over by a hippogriff.

"I-I'm sorry for that."

His face was now composed. "It's okay. I'm sure she just ate something that didn't agree with her. I'm Scorpius Malfoy, by the way."

Her eyes widened slightly at the name. "Maggie McGonagall."

He inclined his blond head. "Nice to meet you, and I'm sorry about your friend."

He left to follow the rest of the Slytherins while Maggie tried to figure out where the Gryffindors had gone. The entrance hall was now almost empty.

"Miss McGonagall?"

Maggie jumped. Professor Flitwick stood behind her. He was at least four inches shorter than she was.

"Miss McGonagall, the Headmistress would like to see you. Please follow me."

Her feet felt heavy as she traipsed behind Flitwick. What could she have done? She'd only been at Hogwarts a few hours!

After the gargoyle guarding the Headmistress' office had jumped aside to Flitwick's squeaky "Arcana Imperii", the Deputy Headmaster left Maggie to travel up the moving staircase and knock on the heavy door at the top.

The door opened right away. More nervous than she'd ever been, Maggie slipped into the room. Some of her fear left her as she looked around. The circular office was…comfortable. Tall tapers burned in simple bronze sconces, and a cheerful fire flickered in the grate. Tasteful landscapes mixed with whispering portraits of the past Headmasters and Headmistresses of Hogwarts. Two worn wooden chairs sat in front of an intricately carved desk, behind which sat the Headmistress herself.

The Headmistress was bent over a letter. The lines in her face seemed more pronounced as she frowned over something on the parchment. She sighed heavily, almost painfully, before folding the parchment and looking up at Maggie.

"Please sit down, Miss McGonagall."

Maggie sat down, completely at a loss as to why she was there.

The Headmistress steepled her fingers and averted her eyes. "I-I am not very good at this, so I'm afraid I'll have to be incredibly blunt. My name is Minerva McGonagall. Your father was my nephew."

In all the scenarios that had raced through Maggie's brain in the past five minutes, not one of them even came close to this! Her head felt strangely light. She wondered if she was going to faint for the first time in her young life.

She looked up hazily to see Headmistress _McGonagall_ looking back with concern. "Margaret, I-"

"It's Maggie."

Professor McGonagall's face softened just a bit. "Maggie, I just wanted to let you know that if you ever need anything…well, you have only to ask."

Maggie nodded. Detachedly, she heard herself ask, "Is that all you wanted, Professor?"

Professor McGonagall nodded as well, and Maggie felt herself stand up. "Thank you, Professor."

The Headmistress came around the front of her desk. She stepped forward, as if to embrace her niece, but instead clasped her hands together tightly and spouted out the instructions to Gryffindor Tower in a strained voice. "The password is Concordia Discors."

Maggie turned to leave. She was almost at the door when she heard Professor McGonagall's voice.

"Your father, he was in Gryffindor, you know. I remember he was-"

Her voice cut off sharply. Maggie turned, and was surprised to see tears in the stern woman's eyes. Unsure of what to do, Maggie placed a hand on the doorknob and opened the door.

"Good night, Maggie." The voice was not crisp as usual, but kind, with a slight tremble.

Maggie smiled for the first time since entering the office. "Good night, Professor."

Leaving the office, Maggie realized she was completely exhausted. She had gotten onto platform 9 ¾ without her uncle; met the children of the three most famous wizards in the world; and had a chat with her long lost great-aunt. Life at Hogwarts was going to be a lot more interesting than she'd thought.

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**A/N: I know, kinda boring, but it's an intro chapter. I'll be posting the second chapter soon. WARNING: The next chapter skips ahead to their sixth year. I have my reasons, I promise! Please review and tell me what you think.**


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: Sorry it's so short. I originally had more to this chapter, but I haven't quite finished it and since I'm going on vacation for a couple weeks, I just decided to post what I have.**

**Disclaimer: Nope, not mine**

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Chapter 2: Five Years Later

Maggie watched the fat raindrops slide across the windowpane. The morning sun should have been brightening the sky by now, but because of the thick cloudbank it was as dark as night. Gripping her steaming cup, she sighed. No Quidditch today.

"Maggie, dear, how long have you been up?"

Maggie turned and smiled. "Just long enough to make a cup of tea, Mrs. Weasley. The water's still warm, if you'd like some." She stood to pour another cup, but Mrs. Weasley waved her off and went over to the stove.

"Are you nervous?" Mrs. Weasley sat down beside Maggie. For a moment, Maggie was confused. What was there to be nervous about? But then she remembered. Professor Longbottom, who was both the Herbology teacher at Hogwarts and a friend of the Weasleys, had been over the day before with his family and he'd said that the O.W.L. reports were coming today.

Great. Now she was nervous. Her fingers began to tap out a rhythm on the table as she listened to Mrs. Weasley.

"I couldn't sleep because of it- isn't that silly? I'm more anxious for my children's reports than I was for my own." She gave a self-deprecating laugh.

Maggie felt a sudden warmth erase some of her unease. From the caring, albeit tense, look that Mrs. Weasley gave her, it was clear that she included Maggie under the listing of "her children".

After five years, she still couldn't believe the Weasley family. That first year she had accepted the fact that she would be staying at Hogwarts over Christmas because her uncle was unable to get out of work. But the minute Rose had heard, she had told, not asked, Maggie to come home with her.

Maggie had been terrified that the Weasleys would think she was intruding, but from the very moment she walked through the door, they treated her like family. Since that time, because of her uncle's work schedule, she had stayed with the Weasleys for every break, excepting that one week after third year when she had visited her friend Scorpius.

Uncle David had tried many times to pay for Maggie's expenses, but the Weasleys refused to take it. Frustrated, he had settled for bringing all of them gifts every time he visited Maggie.

Maggie still saw him as much as she had when he was taking care of her, considering that he had often come home from work after she had gone to bed and left before she woke up. Though he was still busy, he had lost the harried look he'd often had as a clueless single man in his early twenties trying to take care of his late sister's child.

When she had become a teenager, she figured the entire situation was for the best. If Uncle David was clueless before, he certainly wouldn't know how to handle a teenage girl.

Maggie was interrupted by a sudden squeak from beside her. Mrs. Weasley had gone white, staring out the window. Maggie's head turned; against the dark sky were two darker specks.

The warm tea was now sloshing uncomfortably in Maggie's empty stomach. The school owls drew closer and closer. Mrs. Weasley shook her head and broke out of her trance. Shooting up from the table, she flicked her wand at the window, which swung open, and rushed upstairs.

The two tawny owls swept through the open window and settled on the table, shaking their damp feathers. Drops spattered Maggie as she reached forward with shaking hands to untie the two letters.

"Hermione! Couldn't you just let me sleep a bit longer! It's my day off!" Mr. Weasley's voice echoed down the stairs.

Mrs. Weasley's raised tones could be heard as well, "This is a special moment for Rose and Maggie!"

"Can't this _special moment_ occur at a decent time?"

"Decent time? It is past eight o' clock already! You better be up by the time I get back!"

There was the sound of doors opening and closing. She could still hear Mrs. Weasley's voice, quieter now as she woke her children.

Rose and her younger bother Hugo stumbled into the kitchen and slumped into chairs on either side of Maggie. Rose started to wake up as she noticed the envelopes in Maggie's hand, but Hugo placed his head down on the table and was soon snoring.

"Ronald Weasley! GET OUT OF BED!"

A few minutes later, the couple entered the kitchen, Mr. Weasley looking distinctly grumpy, and Mrs. Weasley with a flushed face.

"Now," said Mrs. Weasley, "Let's see those reports."

Maggie handed Rose hers. Rose ripped it open at once, scanning the parchment intensely. Maggie was much more cautious, unfolding the parchment carefully.

_**Margaret Jane McGonagall has achieved:**_

Ancient Runes E

Astronomy E

Care of Magical Creatures A

Charms O

Defense Against the Dark Arts O

Herbology E

History of Magic O

Potions O

Transfiguration O

Maggie let out her breath in a happy sigh. The tiny perfectionist part of her wished that she had managed 'Outstandings' in every subject, but still. She did pretty well.

Mrs. Weasley, who had caught a glimpse of the scores from over Maggie's shoulder, pulled her into a tight hug. "Wonderful job, Maggie."

Rose had a beaming smile as she and Maggie switched reports. Six "Outstandings" and three "Exceeds Expectations". Maggie grinned. She hadn't expected anything less of her best friend.

There was a whooshing sound from the fireplace, and three figures came charging out of the green flames, with Al Potter in the lead. Behind him were Al's younger sister Lily and Lily's best friend Faye Matthews.

Lily and Faye surrounded Hugo, while Al made a beeline for Rose and Maggie, waving his O.W.L. report. "I didn't fail anything!"

Lily and Faye traded a mischievous look over Hugo's head before simultaneously leaning down and shouting, "Hugo!"

The poor boy awoke with a yell and fell right out of his chair. Maggie rushed over to help him scramble up while the two girls stood laughing.

Maggie glared at them, trying to hide her amusement. "Honestly! I don't know why Hugo is still friends with you after all you put him through."

"They're not my friends!" he retorted, but his wide smile contradicted his words. Lily and Faye immediately put on contrite faces.

Exactly the same height, with matching long hair (one red, one blonde) and identical grins, Lily and Faye were truly evil twins. Maggie rolled her eyes and went to rejoin her two best friends.

Within minutes the small kitchen was so full of laughter and excited conversation that no one noticed the owl tapping at the window.

Mrs. Weasley finally spied the owl, but with six teenagers hanging around the table, she couldn't get to the window, and her voice went unheard.

"OI! You lot!" Mr. Weasley bellowed. "SHUT IT!"

The entire room fell silent. The tapping of the owl was now loud and clear.

"Well, that's one way of doing it." Mrs. Weasley muttered.

Mr. Weasley pushed through to the window and brought the owl in out of the rain. As soon as its burden was relieved, the owl fluttered up to the top of a cabinet and let out a weary hoot, obviously not leaving anytime soon.

"Hermione." Mr. Weasley's solemn eyes met his wife's, and then he looked down at the parchment in his hands. Without a word, they turned into the sitting room. The six kids followed quickly, only to have the door shut firmly in their faces and a silencing spell placed on it.

Lily swore under her breath as the flesh-colored Extendable Ear she was attempting to thread under the door refused to go.

"It's Imperturbable." Hugo whispered, his ear pressed to the door in spite of the spell.

Maggie exchanged glances with Rose and Al. What could be so important that the elder Weasleys would seal off the door?

A few moments later, Mrs. Weasley opened the door and Hugo had to jump back or be stepped on. Mrs. Weasley didn't seem to notice, and through the door behind her Maggie could see Mr. Weasley Disapparate.

"What's wrong, Mum?" Rose asked.

"Hmm? Oh, nothing."

"Then where was Dad going?"

"T-that was the ministry. Your father has to go to the office, and I have to go in for a bit as well."

"But it's your day off- Dad's too!" Hugo said. "Why?"

"Oh, it's just some, er, business." A flush worked its way up Mrs. Weasley's neck, bringing her absentminded look back to the present. Al and Maggie exchanged another look. Rose's mum had always been a terrible liar.

Mrs. Weasley turned away from the children's stares and hurried upstairs to change out of her dressing gown.

The tension slowly leaked away and the group dispersed. Lily and Faye sat down at the table and continued their former discussion about which boys were the best dating prospects. Rose headed over to the stove to start breakfast while Al reached out a hand to coax the owl down.

Maggie was going upstairs to write her uncle when Al let out a yell and stumbled backwards, clutching a bloody finger. The ruffled owl stared back haughtily.

Al's head swung around at Hugo's barking laugh. "Oh, yeah? Let's see you do better!" he said furiously.

Hugo raised a single eyebrow and lifted his arm. The owl immediately swooped past and alighted gracefully on the outstretched arm.

Maggie ducked and hurried up the stairs to hide her smile. Al always underestimated his younger cousin simply because he didn't speak much, but Maggie happened to know that after just one year in Care of Magical Creatures, Hugo had a talent with animals not seen since Charlie Weasley.

On her way to the room she and Rose shared, Maggie caught a snatch of conversation coming from the room on her right.

"Ron, what is going on?"

Maggie crept closer. The door was ajar, and she peered through the narrow opening. Mr. Weasley sat on the edge of the bed, looking at something out of Maggie's line of sight. He sighed. "I don't know. It seems unrelated; today's disappearance doesn't even seem to be linked to the other ones. I just…" Another sigh.

Mrs. Weasley, out of sight until now, crossed right in front of the door. Maggie shrank back, but the couple inside didn't notice. The older woman stopped in front of her husband, her brown eyes intense. "What? What are you thinking of?"

When he didn't answer, she rolled her eyes and spoke, "Ron, I'm not going to laugh. Just tell me." She turned away and began to pace.

Mr. Weasley closed his eyes. "Everything that's been happening lately, the disappearances, the vandalism, it reminds me too much of last time. People disappearing…"

Mrs. Weasley froze. "Last time? The war, you mean?" Her voice was strained.

Mr. Weasley shot up and started pacing where his wife left off. "Yeah, and Harry believed me…until today. With today's disappearance, Harry called off my investigation."

"Why? You never told me, who was taken today?"

"Lucius Malfoy." He said it quickly, with his chin jutting out.

For a moment, Mr. and Mrs. Weasley stared at each other, Mr. Weasley daring his wife to disagree with him.

"I think you're right."

Mr. Weasley's brows shot up. "You-you do?"

"Why do you sound so surprised? I trust you."

He looked stunned. "Thank you." He whispered.

She chuckled. "You're welcome. On a more serious note, we'd better get down to the office. I'll talk to Harry if you'd like."

Mr. Weasley wrapped his arms around his wife and Maggie backed across the hall. Reaching behind her, she found the doorknob to Rose's room and slipped inside.

In a fog, Maggie slipped between the two beds and sat down heavily at the small writing desk. She pulled an inkpot and parchment towards her, but didn't pick up her quill. All excitement over her O.W.L. scores had trickled away, leaving her mind free to worry over what she'd just heard.

Lucius Malfoy kidnapped. Poor Scorpius. And yeah, poor Lucius as well. Scorpius' grandfather had spent twenty years in Azkaban even after renouncing Voldemort during the last war. He had been released only four years ago.

He had returned home emaciated and shrunken in both body and spirit, only to find that the wizarding world still could not accept him. Though Scorpius wasn't close to his grandfather and believed he deserved his stint in Azkaban, it was still a sore point.

As for what else she had heard, well, she was worried, afraid even. Another war? The Weasleys and the Potters had told her about the last one, and even though she knew they didn't tell her everything, what they did say was bad enough.

Gingerly, Maggie picked up the quill and moved it across the page, writing words that in no way matched the thoughts racing through her brain.

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**Please Review!**


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: Sorry, I haven't posted in forever! And it's really short, I know I hate short chapters, but please don't hurt me! As it says below, this chapter is in Al's POV.**

**Enjoy!**

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Chapter 3: AL'S POV

"Al. Al. Albus Potter!"

Al spun around to look at his cousin, nearly falling over his trunk in the process. His cheeks burned as he straightened. Rose rolled her eyes. He watched Maggie anxiously to see if she had noticed his mishap, but she was staring at her hands gripping the handle of her trunk.

Rose turned in the crowded hallway, much more gracefully than Al. She pulled open the compartment door. "I think this is the best we can do."

Rose brushed past Maggie, but the girl didn't even stir. After sharing a quick, worried look with Al, Rose gently tugged her friend behind her.

He was worried about Maggie too. Her eyes were red, with deep shadows beneath, as if she hadn't gotten much sleep. She'd looked like that ever since the day his aunt and uncle had gone in on their day off.

Maggie had filled them in that evening on everything she'd overheard. He and Rose had been understandably worried at first, but as the summer wore on, Al began to feel much less concerned. Disappearances were bad, sure, but that's what aurors like his dad and uncle were for. Whatever was wrong, they'd take care of it.

Already seated inside the compartment was Frank Longbottom, a fellow Gryffindor sixth year, and Calvin Rutgers, a fifth year Gryffindor.

After exchanging greetings, Al sat down across from the two and leaned back into the seat. A warm feeling filled him when Maggie sank down beside him. The rational part of his brain told him that she had only sat there because Rose had already taken the seat between Frank and Calvin, but he ignored it.

Immediately, Al struck up a conversation about his absolute favorite topic, Quidditch. Calvin, Frank, and Maggie were all members of the Gryffindor House team, of which Al was the Captain.

Albus Potter may not have been able to compare with his famous father in many ways, but he did manage to become Quidditch Captain a full year before Harry Potter had.

The three boys quickly became immersed in relating the woes and victories of their favorite teams, and Al was happy to note that after a few minutes, Maggie's eyes began to lose their dull look as she leaned forward to catch all the news.

"So, for the first game I was thinking-" He cut off abruptly, a scowl forming on his face. Scorpius Malfoy was standing in the doorway.

Malfoy's eyes flicked around the compartment from Rose and Calvin, who were doing their best to ignore him, to Frank Longbottom, who looked quite nervous, to Al, who was fingering his wand, and finally rested on Maggie, who was giving him a welcoming smile.

Wait, Maggie was smiling at the great idiot? What had Malfoy ever done to earn that smile? Al worked hard to see that look!

The smile seemed to give Malfoy courage. "Maggie, can I talk to you?"

Before Al could think about what he was saying, he blurted out, "Why would she want to talk to you?"

Maggie, who had stood to go, whipped around and glared down at Al. For the first time in weeks, he saw fire in her eyes. A small part of him rejoiced at that, but most of him dearly wished she wasn't looking at _him_ like that. He winced as she slammed the compartment door behind her.

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**A/N: Please review, even to tell me you hate it**


	4. Chapter 4

**Author's Note**: To anyone who likes this story: I'm so sorry, but I have to put this on hold for a while. School just started, and already the workload is crazy. AP classes are wonderful, aren't they? I have almost no time to write and I have another story for school to keep up with. **I promise I do know where I'm going with WWIII.** I have a plan, really! I'll work hard at finding time to write and update whenever I can. Thanks. :)


	5. Chapter 5

**For those few who have stayed with this, I am so sorry it's been so long. Life has gotten in the way, and I hardly have time to write. :( So, I know it's not much, but here's another chapter. Enjoy!**

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MAGGIE

Scorpius closed the door and leaned against it, his back to Maggie. She settled heavily onto a seat in the empty compartment. The compartment hadn't been empty to start out with, but Maggie couldn't seem to summon the energy to scold Scorpius for chasing the terrified second year Slytherin girls out.

I'm sorry, Scorpius." His back stiffened. "About your grandfather."

He turned suddenly, no sign of distress on his face. In fact, a slight smirk curled his lips. This more than anything stirred Maggie to life. The only time Scorpius gave in to that particular Malfoy inclination was when he wished to hide something.

He flopped down across from her and shrugged. "Grandfather had many enemies and any one of them would be more than happy to see him dead."

"So that's what you think? You think whoever kidnapped him killed him?"

He shrugged again. "Like I said; a lot of people hated him," He smirked again, but this time Maggie could see the misery behind it, "including those Weasleys you love so much."

She rolled her eyes. "Well, no, the Weasleys probably wouldn't invite him to tea, but you have to know that none of them would have kidnapped or killed your grandfather."

"Yeah." He looked down. "I saw who did it."

"What?!"

His forehead wrinkled as he studiously examined his fingernails. "I was visiting the Manor. Mum and Grandmother were out shopping, and Dad was at work. The doors were locked as usual, no sign that someone broke in. I just walked in like I do every time I visit, and there he was, surrounded by three...men—women—I don't know what they were. All three were tall, with these dark hooded cloaks, and their faces...I hope those faces were a mask. One of them looked at me just before they disappeared, and—" He broke off, shivering slightly. His face appeared paler than normal.

"And you didn't try to find them?"

His head jerked up and fierce pride erased his fear. "Yeah well, I'm not a stupid Gryffindor, you know. I thought about it, I would have gone after them, but I'm a sixteen-year-old kid. I decided that it would only get me killed. The best solution would be to get more information, to learn more so my odds will be better when I finally decide to track them down."

Maggie stared, her mouth open slightly. She had only meant to annoy him into feeling better, but his logic astounded her and gave her surprising new insight into the real difference between Gryffindors and Slytherins.

He grinned, noticing her stunned look. He leaned back in the seat and crooked his arms behind his head. "Hey, what'd you expect? I'm a Slytherin."

Maggie groaned and tugged at his arm. "Come on, you. We're almost to Hogwarts. I need to get back to the others and you need to go find those second years you scared off."

He sighed dramatically but allowed himself to be pulled up. "Oh, all right."

The pair walked in comfortable silence until they reached Maggie's compartment. As he turned to leave, she stopped him with a quick hug. "You know Mr. Weasley and the other Aurors are doing all they can to find your grandfather."

The smile slipped off his face, and he snorted, turning away. "Haven't done much good yet for all the others that disappeared."

Maggie yanked him to a stop. "Wait. You know about all the disappearances?"

He looked over her shoulder and met the glares of Al and Rose through the transparent compartment door. Al stood up, his eyes on Maggie. Scorpius looked from Maggie to Al. He almost laughed out loud. It explained so much. He had always thought Potter simply hated him, but this was far more interesting.

"Scorpius!"

"Huh? Oh." He turned back to his frustrated friend. Smirking at Al, Scorpius pulled Maggie into another hug, longer this time.

Al turned bright red. Scorpius's grin widened. Oblivious, Maggie laughed and tried to shove him off. "What are you doing?"

"Aww, Maggie, I just missed you this summer."

She rolled her eyes. "You know you could have visited me, right?"

He laughed and sauntered off in the opposite direction the second year girls had run.

"Wait! You never answered my question!"


End file.
